The Garden State Underwater Recovery Unit

Welcome to the home page of the Garden State Underwater Recovery Unit.

Located in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, the Garden State Underwater Recovery Unit
(GSURU) is available to respond to any water-related emergency, in coordination with
other public safety agencies. Since 1960, our all volunteer water rescue and dive
recovery team has responded to hundreds of water-related emergencies. We have rescued
trapped flood victims from homes and cars, recovered drowning victims, assisted law
enforcement agencies with underwater evidence searches, and provided water safety
assistance at numerous community events. We teach water/ice rescue and boating classes
to the general public and other public safety agencies. In addition, we offer
instruction on water safety to local schools upon request.

Most of what we do is related to recovering drowning victims. This tends to be challenging
work since drownings often occur in environments with rapid current, poor visibility and
unknown sub-surface obstacles. The expertise gained from our long history of working under
these conditions has often contributed to successful outcomes (in so much as that is possible
given the tragic circumstances which generally surround our efforts).

Unlike many volunteer organizations, we receive no financial support of any kind from local,
State or Federal government agencies. All members are responsible for purchasing their own
equipment. We ask for no compensation for our services and rely solely on community support for
our efforts. We are especially grateful to the citizens of Milford, NJ, who have consistently and
generously supported our organization throughout our history.